


At the Crossroads They Stood

by MinniMaster



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternative Perspective, F/M, Not all relationship tags are romantic, idk what else to put, inconsistent updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25267165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinniMaster/pseuds/MinniMaster
Summary: No one can truly predict what fate has in store for them. This is especially true for 8 strangers, who find themselves brought together by a strange set of coincidences.A P5R Fantasy AU. Swords, magic, and everything in between.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakura Futaba, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	At the Crossroads They Stood

**Author's Note:**

> If you ever wanted to see the Phantom Thieves in a traditional fantasy setting, then that makes two of us. Hopefully, I can do this idea justice! This is to be my first real attempt at a multi-chapter story, so questions and critiques are welcome.

A tavern. Smelly as they normally were, filled with raucous patrons and festive music. Workers drinking themselves silly after a long day, travelers happy to find a place to relax, and bards trying to brighten everyone’s mood. Looking to his left and right, the black-haired boy sat at the bar and clad in a dark gray cloak pulled his mug in close and made sure that no one was listening in on what he was about to say.

Without looking up, he muttered, “… Anything?”

The lady behind the bar, in a similarly nonchalant manner, continued wiping her glass before speaking up.

“Aye, there’s something. Definitely something.”

The boy smirked. “Well lay it on me.”

“Hmm…” the barkeep hummed to herself. “For the life of me, I can’t quite remember what it was.” With a roll of his eyes, the boy reached into his pocket and threw a coin down onto the bar. The barkeep chuckled lightly.

“Ah, it just came to me! Supposedly, a fancy noble has an equally fancy manor in Prideswater, a town just a day’s travel from here. Large and grand, people say, and likely filled with riches.”

“And? Is your info really just ‘a noble has a manor’?”

The barkeep scoffed. “You’re not normally this impatient! Wait until I’m finished, honey. It’s just gossip, but apparently the owner is going to hold some sort of party within the next few days, with lords and ladies from all around coming to join in the festivities… lords and ladies with lots of money. But why would that be important, eh?”

“Of course, it doesn’t really matter to me. I’m just a lowlife after all. In what world would I be invited?” the boy said with a smirk before bringing his drink up to his lips. “Thanks, Lala. Your drinks… and your info… are great as always.”

“Don’t mention it, darling,” Lala smirked, kissing the air as the boy chuckled, reaching a hand out to catch it. “But this one’s quite a bit bigger than what you normally take up. Are you sure your lady friend over there’s up to it?”

The boy finished his drink and brought it back down to the bar before looking to his side. There, he saw a girl wrapped up in a similar cloak to his, clasping a mug with both hands. A hood was pulled up over her head, hiding the long red hair that cascaded down her shoulders. She looked up at the mention of a lady friend.

“I’ll be fine, Lala. Thanks,” she said in a barely audible voice as she sipped her drink and bowed her head back down.

Lala smiled. “You’re a tough one, Sumire dear. You make sure you keep this boy safe alright? Who knows what kinds of messes he’d get himself into without you.”

Returning the smile, Sumire simply nodded and finished her own drink.

With a chuckle, the boy in question got up to his feet and threw down some more coins onto the bar. “Well, we’ll be staying here for the night. Thanks again. Come on, Sumire.”

“Right,” she said softly. As she got up and followed the boy to the stairs leading up to their rooms, Lala called back to them.

“The two of you be careful, yeah?” she said in a more concerned voice than she was speaking in throughout their conversation.

The boy tilted his head back and smirked once again.

“We always are.”

With a brief nod, he ushered Sumire to follow him as they made their way up the stairs.

* * *

“Hey, Ren?”

“… Yeah?”

They spoke in hushed voices as they lay on their respective beds, eyes closed as they tried and failed to fall asleep at the midnight hour.

“It’ll be a heist, right? Get in there and steal as much as we can from unknowing nobles? It’ll be the biggest thing we’ve done so far.”

The boy, Ren, peeked open an eye in curiosity. “Yeah. Are you worried?”

In return, Sumire opened both of her eyes as she looked over to him. “I wouldn’t really say ‘worried’, but…” Her voice trailed off as she collected her thoughts. “I guess I just didn’t think this is what I’d be doing with my life back then, before everything happened. I know now isn’t the time to be feeling all guilty but… you know.”

“I get it. I really do,” Ren replied softly. “I get that that’s hard to believe coming from a guy who’s been doing this all his life, but it’s true. I never feel _bad_ about the things I do, but I know better than to paint myself as some sort of hero. I do what I do to survive, and making corrupt nobles’ lives just a bit harder is a nice bonus.”

She looked into his dark eyes with her own red, her lips curling into a smile as she spoke up. “Right. I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“Don’t apologize. You should know that you don’t have to do this. I’m fine with just—”

She cut him off. “No, it’s alright. I can’t just let you provide for the both of us after what you’ve done for me.”

Ren’s face softened as Sumire looked up to the ceiling. “How long has it been since then? Since you saved my life?”

“A few months, probably,” he replied, keeping his eyes on her.

“And since then, your life’s been twice as hard, hasn’t it? I’m sure looking after a runaway dancer with no money to her name hasn’t been easy.”

“Your life would’ve been a lot harder if I hadn’t done anything. Don’t worry about it so much.”

She looked back at him. “I’m not worrying. Just being thankful.”

A few seconds of silence passed before Ren spoke again. “I’m… I’m sorry we couldn’t save her too,” a frown on his face as he apologized.

“You apologize every other day, Ren. I don’t blame you for it.”

“We’ll find her one day. I promise you.”

Sumire giggled. “I know. But let’s focus on what’s coming up. What’s our plan for the manor?”

His face hardened from somber worry to intense concentration as his mind shifted gears. “It’ll probably be swarming with guards, so breaking in will be tough. Probably possible, but also very risky. We might have to find a guest who’s invited and ‘borrow’ their invitation.”

“Poor guest,” she said in mock concern.

“Poor guest indeed. The problem with that plan is our lack of pompous clothes to blend in. I doubt they’ll ignore how strange it is for two people dressed in rags and cloaks to be invited to a bigshot party,” Ren, said gesturing into the air with false grandeur.

“Should we steal their clothes too?”

“Hey, I’m good at my job, but I can’t pickpocket someone’s clothes without them noticing.”

“Hah, you underestimate yourself, Ren.”

He smiled. “Perhaps, but better safe than sorry. Got any other ideas?”

“Hmm…” she thought to herself. “We could always just rent some outfits.”

A hand shot up to his chin as he nodded slowly. “I suppose. Probably gonna cost a bit though.”

“Lords and ladies with lots of money,” Sumire quoted Lala, trying to mimic the tone from the bar. “We should be able to make it back and then some.”

“You’re right. Anyway, once we’re inside, we blend in, lift some shiny pieces out of the pockets of tipsy or drunk guests, and walk out the front door while they’re none the wiser.”

“You make it sound so easy, oh master thief,” Sumire said, imitating the gesture Ren had done earlier.

“And yet it won’t be. We haven’t made it this far by overestimating ourselves,” Ren said, chuckling as he watched Sumire lower her arms, showing her exhaustion from the day. “In any case, the party’s supposed to happen in a few days if gossip is to be believed.”

“Yeah…”

“Luckily, Prideswater isn’t very far from here. If we leave by tomorrow, we should be able to make it there and still have plenty of time to scout the place out and prepare.”

“Mhm…”

“We could even leave the day after tomorrow if we wanted to. When do you wanna go?”

“…”

“Sumire?”

He looked over to his partner in crime, her eyes shut tight as her chest rose and dropped ever so slowly. “Ah.” He couldn’t help but smile wider. “Sleep well, Sumire,” he muttered, right before closing his own eyes and falling asleep shortly after.

* * *

“Ren.”

Nothing.

“Ren?”

Nothing again.

“Ren!”

“Agh! I’m up, I’m up!” he shot upwards, hand ruffling through his hair as his eyes adjusted to the morning sun. “What time is it?”

“Time for you to get up and us to eat,” Sumire said, standing at the foot of his bed, already dressed in traveling clothes.

“Right…” he muttered, still half-asleep as Sumire giggled, a hand covering her lips.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. You just look… really cute.”

A slight red tint crossed Ren’s face before he clapped his cheeks and it was gone. “I’m nothing to the lady before me,” he grinned, pointing a hand at her.

Sumire blushed in return, yet a clap to her cheeks didn’t have the same effect as it did with the boy in front of her. “Ehh, knock it off!”

“Hey, I’m not lying. Now go on, I’m gonna get changed, then we’ll see what we can find for breakfast.”

She smiled widely, as she normally did when they were going to eat. Her stomach growled as she stepped out of the room and waited by the door. A few minutes passed before Ren followed, dressed in the same kind of waist-length dark cloak that she wore, concealing the knife that he had sheathed behind his back. They made their way down the stairs and out of the Crossroads Tavern, thanking Lala for the generous accommodations as they made their exit.

Their breakfast was a simple one, consisting of some apples and bread purchased from the town market, with Ren offering Sumire the last of his share when she expressed an interest in it. Although reluctant, she accepted it nonetheless. After deciding to begin the travel to Prideswater immediately, they acquired some extra provisions and headed to the stables.

There, they found their horse waiting patiently, its black coat and blue eyes easily distinguishable to them.

“Good morning, Morgana! Had a nice rest?” Ren said, stroking the horse’s neck and feeding it one of the apples that they had picked up.

“He seems happy,” Sumire remarked.

Ren turned to her. “He always is when he’s eating. Sounds like a certain someone I know.”

“And what are you getting at?”

“Nothing, nothing…,” Ren chuckled, saddling Morgana and climbing up. “Come on, let’s ride,” he said, extending an arm down to Sumire. With a pout, she took it and followed him up onto the horse, her arms wrapped around his waist to keep steady.

* * *

The ride to their destination was largely uneventful. Dressed in inconspicuous rags, the few travelers that they crossed on the way barely acknowledged their existence as they rode onwards. Every now and then, Morgana would stop in the middle of the road, refusing to continue unless given at least one apple. This would go on until Ren reached into their bag of provisions, only to find it empty.

“Oh,” he said under his breath, causing Sumire to look over his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“We’re out of food, and…” he looked up to the sky to see the sun slowly starting to set. “… it’s almost nighttime.”

“How far are we from Prideswater?”

“Shouldn’t be too far. We can make it before dark if we pick up the pace a bit.”

With a brief grunt of disapproval from the horse, he began galloping faster in the hopes of reaching the town sooner. If one could listen in on his thoughts, they might be able to hear ‘Maybe there’s more food in town. Oooh, and better stables too!’

His thoughts would be correct, because as the group pulled into the town of Prideswater, they quickly took note of how much more imposing it looked compared to the places that they had previously been. It was not the capital city, but it could easily be mistaken as such, with large brick buildings, cobblestone streets, and the like fooling anyone unaware into thinking that it was.

The few residents left walking around at night were well-dressed and looked at them with judging eyes, scoffing under their breaths as they passed them by. It was a far cry from the dingy wooden taverns and inns that they were used to.

“Yeah, about what I expected,” Ren said, half to himself. “Definitely the kind of place you’d find a gathering of nobles.”

Sumire tapped his shoulder. “You said we have some time to prepare right? Let’s find a meal and a place to sleep then get started in the morning.”

The pair left their horse in the care of a stable near the outskirts of town and set out looking for an inn to spend the night. Many were found, but they quickly realized that most required more money than they had to offer.

Some time passed before they eventually happened upon a more modest one that suited their needs. As they walked inside, they took note of how different it felt from the rest of Prideswater, being much more akin to the taverns that they normally frequented. It was still cleaner and more well-kept, but the lights were dim, the music festive, and the patrons raucous.

“Of course, we find ourselves in a fancy town for the first time and we still end up in the same old locations as always,” Ren complained, giving a light shrug.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to partake in the finer things in life soon enough. Come on, I’m hungry!” Tugging her partner’s shoulder, Sumire pulled him over to a table near the bar, ready to eat whatever she was served.

As they sat down and Sumire’s mouth watered, Ren cast his eyes across the room, his gaze landing on a figure sat at the bar who stood out among the rest of the guests. A large hat was placed atop their head, concealing their face from Ren’s view. Their clothes weren’t flashy or elegant, but they were easily distinguishable from the rags that adorned the bodies of every other patron in the inn.

“Psst,” he whispered to the red-haired girl at his side.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t look, but there’s someone at the bar who you wouldn’t really expect to find in a place like this. We might be able to get our invitation sorted out sooner than expected.”

“How can you be sure they’re invited to the party?”

His trademark smirk appeared on his face. “I’m not, but I guess you could just call it… a hunch. I’ll go get us some food, and if I’m lucky, maybe a little bonus too.”

Ren shot Sumire a wink before getting up to his feet and walking to the bar, hearing a soft ‘Good luck’ from behind him.

“It’s showtime,” he thought to himself as he approached his target, adjusting the gloves on his hands and preparing to do what he did best. Passing behind their back, his hands practically danced into their back pocket, lifting the contents from within with as much grace as a leaf gliding through the wind. Sure enough, his prize was a small envelope that he took a quick look at and promptly hid within his cloak.

With a brief glance to his side, he made sure that his prey noticed nothing, a feeling of victory boiling within him. Placing his elbows on the bar, he called the barkeep’s attention.

“Some dinner and a couple drinks please,” he told the burly man as he tossed him some coins in payment. Looking back to his partner, he gave Sumire a nod in confirmation, the girl simply shooting him two small thumbs up. A few minutes later, he picked up the tray of food and mugs that the barkeep presented him and walked back to his table.

“Hey!” Ren heard as he placed the food down in front of Sumire. Despite the nonstop cheering and yelling coming from every direction within the tavern, he heard the voice loud and clear as it shot through the noise like an arrow.

He turned around, only to find a woman staring at him with piercing red eyes and short brown hair, clad in light leather armor. She cracked her fists, emphasizing the brass knuckles that adorned her fingers.

“What do you have there, thief?” she spoke, her gaze and voice as hard as steel.

Sumire panicked, tugging Ren’s arm and whispering, “Ren, should we run?”

Silence reigned for a brief moment as he considered his options. “We’ll be fine,” he muttered, though he wasn’t so sure in his statement.

“Thief?” he spoke back up, now addressing the woman in front of him. “That’s quite the accusation. I can assure you that I’ve done no such—”

“I will hear no excuses!” she interrupted, throwing her arms up and placing herself into a fighting position. At this, the previous owner of the invitation turned around and removed their hat, revealing a lady with a gentle face and chin-length auburn hair. As she took note of the tense event unfolding before her, a hand shot up to cover her mouth in surprise.

“Oh my!” she yelped. “What’s going on here, Makoto?”

“A thief has taken from you. I told you it was not safe to come here.”

_Shit!_

Panic crossed Ren’s mind as he tried to come up with an explanation. It simply would not do for a self-proclaimed master thief to be thrown into the dungeon before he had even begun his heist. He felt the tug of Sumire’s hand as her worry urged him to say something.

“Hey, listen, I have no idea what you’re going on about. My friend and I just wanted to have a nice, quiet meal, but we can go somewhere else if we’re causing any trouble.”

“Don’t play dumb, criminal! You will return the Lady Okumura’s invitation immediately!” Makoto declared loudly, taking steady steps forward.

Ren’s mind came to two very simple choices: to stand his ground or to run away. Surely, one of which would let them escape with their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, if you have any critiques or questions, feel free to voice them. The next few chapters will be told from different perspectives, and I hope I can write these characters well. Thanks for reading!


End file.
